by Jason Brown
High-rep band exercises will help you to avoid injury and build some extra muscle. Give these a shot.
Doing high-rep resistance band work has many advantages, like strengthening connective tissue which will help prevent future injury. Another benefit is greater storage of kinetic energy which correlates to higher reversible strength.
Adding high-volume band work is a staple at Westside Barbell and can easily be added to your current training program or done from the comfort of your own home. This work can be performed in a second session.
Here’s what to do:
Lower Body Training Days
100-200 Banded Leg Curls, Each Leg
100 Banded Pull-Throughs
50-100 Banded Hip Flexor Pulls, Each Side
Upper Body Training Days
100-200 Banded Pushdowns
100-200 Banded Pull-Aparts
50-100 Banded Hammer Curls
Start with the lower number of reps at first and gradually increase your volume as you get used to these movements. At first, this may not seem like much, but most athletes are always surprised how difficult these guidelines are. In time, performing 75-100 reps without stopping will be feasible.
There are several ways you can vary these movements, such as simply changing band thickness or the positions in which you perform your band work. Things like banded pushdowns can be done with a single-arm variation, and banded pull-aparts can be done from a variety of positions: eye-level, behind the neck, etc.
Adding this extra work to your training twice a week will yield a great return on investment when it comes to improving your lifts and ability to steer clear of injury, and it’ll also add extra volume for muscle growth.
